Checkmate
by moonhaku
Summary: Winning a shogi match is easy. Checkmating a girl's heart? Think again. ShikaHina two-shot.
1. First Move

_**Checkmate**_

**Summary: **Winning a shogi match is easy. Checkmating a girl's heart? Think again. **ShikaHina**

**Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto**

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**-First Move**

That was the first night he noticed her.

Standing by the riverbank while fireflies illuminated the darkness surrounding her and the pale face of the moon reflecting off the dark waters. Only one word could describe her.

Beautiful.

He had followed her without thinking; though later he would make up the excuse that he was never one for parties anyway. But simply, the flowing indigo hair had caught his eye. Black as midnight with a tint of violet in it. Uncommon. Even more so than pink hair.

Maybe, it was that night by the riverbank, that he decided to chase her. Maybe, it was that night while they were talking softly, he realized that, given more time, he might possibly love her. Maybe, it was that night while she left for the Hyuuga compound, that he suddenly had a feeling to checkmate something other than a shogi panel.

Maybe that night, as he reminisced in the darkness, was nothing out of the ordinary after all.

**-**

"Shikamaru-san…?" She tapped his shoulder anxiously. He blinked and yawned lazily, stretching out his arms.

"You…you fell asleep…" A smile was on her pink lips. She pulled her knees to her face, staring at the clouds happily. Shikamaru jolted up in sudden recognition. Hinata Hyuuga. He invited her to go cloud watching with him, after seeing her wander around aimlessly as her teammates trained elsewhere.

"Ah, gomen. I was tired." He put his arms behind his head, lying in a relaxed manner. The sun illuminated her pale skin beautifully; not that there was much of that showing. But that was one of the things he liked about this Hyuuga girl.

Among other things.

"Have you…have you ever watched a cloud grow, Shikamaru-san?"

He was mildly surprised by her bold question.

"Hai. It's one of the more fascinating aspects of cloud-watching," he drawled, silently thinking that she was definitely more intriguing than any cloud.

"To watch a puff of white grow and grow…and then get carried off by the wind far, far away…I find it a bit sad." Hinata's thin voice was quiet with a melancholy undertone. Shikamaru stiffened slightly, realizing that she was referring to something other than simple clouds.

"It's alright. They always come back later. It's a cycle." He stated bluntly. He glanced at her expression; it was sad, though a brave smile was still on her face. The strange urge to hug her found it's way to his mind, but he rejected it immediately. Acting on his instincts would make him lose her company; however light and platonic it was.

"Do you play shogi?" His own question shocked him; it'd slipped out of his mouth with warning.

"N-no…"

"Would you like to learn?" Now where did that come from? He was growing increasingly irritated from the involuntary words he was spouting. Maybe he was finally developing schizophrenia.

"I…I don't know anyone who plays…"

"I do." Shikamaru felt eager now, and for good reason. "I could…teach you."

"Hm…I'll have to ask outo-san…"

"It's alright, it'll only be for a little while. I'm sure he won't mind!" He managed to choke out. Asking the infamous stern and overprotective Hiashi-sama if his daughter could take shogi lessons from the laziest ninja in Konoha. That would sure go well.

"Then…okay! Where c-can you teach me?" The joy lighting up in her pale featureless eyes were brilliant.

"I have a shogi board at my house." Aren't we moving a little fast, Shikamaru? He ignored the warning from his mind. This was just another move in the game of the world. More importantly, the world of love.

"I'll come by tomorrow…" Hinata smiled at him, sending butterflies down into his stomach. She got up to her feet and brushed herself off. "By the way…thank you for listening to me, Shikamaru-san."

"Anytime." As much as he wanted her to swing by _now_, he knew it was useless to push it too far. Hinata was fragile like porcelain; he couldn't force her. Besides, attempting to do anything except agreeing with her would reveal too much.

He felt something warm press against his cheek.

"Good-bye!" Hinata waved and ran off with flushed cheeks. Shikamaru touched his cheek in a daze. Did she just…kiss him? He fought off the arrogant smirk that wanted to wrench itself onto his face. Just one chaste kiss on the cheek, nothing more.

Besides, it wasn't like he was really in love with her or anything.

**-**

**Author's Note: **Totally random garbage that I wrote in ten minutes. I hope you like it, I'm writing a follow up, so look for it! This is my first time writing ShikaHina…it's oddly satisfying. Please review, as always!

-moonhaku

**-**


	2. Advancing Forward

_**Checkmate**_

**Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto**

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**-Advancing Forward**

"So how would you get out of this situation, if your king was in danger…like this…" Shikamaru moved a piece forward. "Check."

After a moment, she pushed forward another bishop and smiled. He nodded. She was coming along well, learning at a fast rate despite how short of a time she stayed. Not that he was complaining.

The lessons had been going on for almost a month, and Shikamaru found himself getting more and more attracted to the timid Hyuuga.

Maybe he really was falling in love after all.

"Then, I'll do this" he slid a piece diagonally across the board. "Check."

"Oh…" Her finger was up at her lips, the position she usually put it in when she was thinking. He realized that he was unconsciously staring at her when her eyes glanced at him. She blushed a startling crimson and looked down. Oh great, he thought, I finally blew it. She'll probably excuse herself quietly and never come again.

"A-ano…I'm stuck…"

"Ah, well. That's to be expected." He recovered enough to make the counter to his own move. "It's a pretty high-level problem; not something that you should learn in a single month. You're doing very well already."

"Really?" As expected, her eyes lit up at the praise. "You're a really good teacher, Shikamaru-san."

He hated the way that she said his name with the –san attached. It sounded so formal…so unfamiliar. Definitely _not_ what he wanted. But he still couldn't bring himself to ask her to say otherwise.

Then she might see how utterly intoxicated and obsessed he was with her.

"It's almost lunch time." He stated bluntly. Blank white orbs peered up at the high position of the sun.

"Ah. I—I should probably be going now…" Was that a tinge of reluctance that he heard in her voice?

"Er…um," he barely stammered his sentence out. "I know a good teahouse around here, um…want to come with me? My treat."

"Oh. Sure…I can pay for myself though."

"It's no problem, you can pay me back later." He rose from his sitting position, grimacing at the ache in his legs. They'd been sitting like that for a long time. Hinata got up too, springing to her feet in an awkward sort of grace. Traces of a blush still lingered on her cheeks, not fading.

Shikamaru found that he was very partial to that color of her skin.

"It's that way." He walked out of the wooden gates, holding it open for a minute. Hinata followed him as he led the way.

"Thank you for teaching me, Shikamaru-san…" she unexpectedly started a conversation, "You…You must be very busy…"

"No, not at all!" He answered too quickly. "What m-makes you think that?" _Kami, did he just stutter?_

"Well, y-you always s-seem to b-be in a hurry, I just thought…" her voice trailed off. Her cheeks flushed crimson again. She sat down on the bench of the teahouse and Shikamaru ordered green tea and sweet dango for both of them.

"Aren't you going to eat, Hinata?" Kami, he loved saying her name. He swallowed a piece of dango and washed it down with the tea. Hinata picked up a stick uncertainly and chewed the food slowly, taking small sips of tea. Finally she set it down and stared at Shikamaru. He averted his eyes, wondering why she was staring at him like that.

"Sh-shikamaru-san, may I ask you a question…?"

"Hn?" It couldn't be anything bad, right? "Of course."

"A-are you in l-l-love with me?"

He choked on his tea, splattering it all over the table. Kami, how—what—when, how did she find that out? He coughed a few more times and wiped his mouth.

"What makes you think that?"

"I—I don't know," she stuttered. "I-it's just th-that you're tr-treating me s-so nicely all of th s-sudden…"

"Just because someone is nice to you doesn't mean they're in love."

"Ah, gomen…Sh-shikarmaru-san, I was j-just th-thinking…" he hated how uncertain and how nervous she sounded. He took a deep breath and grasped her shaking hand. She looked up in surprise.

"I, erm, I'm not too sure how to say this," he cleared his throat. "But I think—no, let me rephrase that. I _know_ that I _do_ love you, Hinata. Very much."

"R-really?"

"Hai. For a month, now." Immediately he felt as if something weighing on his heart disappeared. Whether she shunned him or reciprocated his love, it would be alright. As long he could still see her.

"Th-that's a relief, Shikamaru…" she left off the formality. He loved it. "Because I think that I might love you too." She peered at him shyly from under her indigo bangs.

He grinned and leaned toward her, with all intentions of claiming those soft pink lips for himself.

_Checkmate._

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**Author's Note: **Okay, I confess, ShikaHina is HARD to write. I had to think for so long to make this work! Okay…cliché ending, but I couldn't think of anything else. Oh well, I hope you liked my poor attempt at this pairing.

/EDIT/ thanks, darklight...I can't believe I didn't notice that Hinata was sipping dango. Fixed it.

-moonhaku

_logging out_

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